Associate Consultant Review

I really love the team I was put in, I feel as though I got on with everyone very well from the start. I was also given alot of support throughout my internship. All my managers are very approachable so I have never been scared to ask for help or guidance.

My colleagues are very supportive and we also socialise outside the office together which is great.

Especially in the early stages of my internship I was given alot of guidance from my managers. I was also encouraged to take initiative with my tasks.

There were times when I felt my role became repetitive and less busy but I believe this was during more quiet periods. This changed quite quickly and my manager encourages me to plan my days to try and achieve set goals each day to keep myself busy.

After some time I was given responsibility to manage my own jobs, which included speaking to clients directly and working as a "360" consultant.

I have left a lot of transferrable skills from my placement that I can impliment in my studies and beyond. I feel I have a much better understanding of how to prepare for an interview, how to tailer my CV, the confidence to liaise with individuals at all levels throughout the business. It will also allow me to structure my days more effectively during my final year.

Loud and vibrant office. The office is not a quiet one if it is there is something wrong. People are constantly on the phones talking to candidates and clients. The entire office is open plan meaning that you can speak to anyone even our MD sits outside of his private office and will walk around the building on a daily basis saying hello. I would say most people in the building are very approachable characters and no one should feel intimidated to go and speak to a manager or a director as any given time.

From day one we were given a timetable of set training sessions that would be conducted in the first month, we were also given folders with the essential reading for these sessions. I then got on the job training with my manager. I had a three day level one training session after my first three months in another office which was good. I have monthly reviews from my line manager and I have had 6 and 9 month reviews with my manager and director to review my performance.

From day one we were trained in all different aspects of recruitment including interviewing, job adverts, candidate calls, candidate management etc we were put in small teams of 5 both interns and associates to receive the same training from senior consultants in our departments. It was good to have these sessions and they really helped, they didn't expect you to learn just on the job which from my understanding most recruitment companies do. My manager also spent the extra time with me to ensure that I became an expert in my field and we would have one on one training sessions to get a better understanding of our market and what the people do who we recruit for.

They have said if I want to return I am more than welcome. At this stage I want to explore other opportunities as I am not sure if recruitment is for me. But I do think it would be interesting to see what it would be like to come back as a full consultant to build my own desk.

Very good, most Friday nights people go out, we had building and team christmas/summer parties. And also team nights out e.g. meals and bowling. I would say I personally went out more with my team than other interns so this also encluded my manager which I think is great because she is young and I get on with her very well. My team has one other intern and we get on very well so we would also go out together.

Because I am based in London it is very expensive to socialise, nowhere really does a drink cheaper than £7 which for any student is not cheap. I am living at home this year so I do not have the expensive living cost, but from my understanding you would be looking at paying a minimum of £700 per month to live in London.

Great lots of bars, restaurants and clubs. The Hays cheapside office is based in the city, Thursday nights are very busy nights out, but going out on a Friday is probably better adviced. Most people on a Friday will go to the pub over the road and may end up going out from there.